Serious incident Fokker F-28 Fellowship 1000 N288N, Saturday 3 October 1987

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Date:	Saturday 3 October 1987
Time:	11:00 LT
Type:	Fokker F-28 Fellowship 1000
Owner/operator:	Piedmont Aviation
Registration:	N288N
MSN:	11054
Year of manufacture:	1972
Total airframe hrs:	28534 hours
Engine model:	Rolls-Royce 555-15
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 56
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Category:	Serious incident
Location:	Baltimore, MD - United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Greensboro, NC (GSO
Destination airport:	Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, MD (BWI/KBWI)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
THE ACFT HAD A MAIN GEAR ONLY LANDING AFTER THE NOSE GEAR FAILED TO LOCK DOWN. THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT SINCE A NEWLY OVERHAULED NOSE GEAR WAS INSTALLED. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT WHEN THE NOSE GEAR WAS INSTALLED AND BEFORE IT WAS CORRECTED, A WRONG WASHER WAS USED WITH A BOLT TO INSTALL PART OF THE DOWNLOCK MECHANISM. THIS RESULTED IN AN UNDETECTED PERMANENT REDUCTION, BELOW THE DESIGN CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE DOWNLOCK PLUNGER AND ITS INTERNAL-BEARING. EXAMINATION OF THE DOWNLOCK AFTER THE LANDING INCIDENT DISCLOSED THAT THERE WAS SCORING OF THE PLUNGER AND ITS BEARING.

Probable Cause:

Accident investigation: